1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and press for manufacturing a bonding assembly jig.
2. Description of The Related Art
Specialized airplane fuselage and wing components are often manufactured using bonding assembly jigs (BAJ's) as the mold to form the final product. A typical BAJ consists of a contoured header and a face plate that conforms to and is welded to the header. The header is a structural support formed from NC machined parts to define the desired contour. The face plate is a planar aluminum sheet typically 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Traditional BAJ construction requires the face plate to be manually heated, hammered, cut, and bent with clamps and chains in order to shape it to conform to the contours of the header. Throughout the process as portions of the face plate are shaped, they are clamped and then spot welded to the structural support of the header.
An inherent problem with the prior art method is that this manual process is extremely time-consuming and labor intensive. Manufacture of a typical BAJ by the prior art method requires approximately 80 man-hours of labor and a welder on stand-by throughout the process.
In addition, since heavy sledge hammers are used to bend the face plate, and since the face plate must be heated with a torch, the BAJ assembly process can be very dangerous.
The instant invention has overcome manY of the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a press which bends the face plate to conform to the contours of the header and which holds the face plate in position for welding. Using the invention, a typical BAJ construction requires 16 man-hours and a welder whose time is fully used.